The End of Taxpayer-funded Public Broadcasting?

by Cliff Kincaidon March 14, 2017

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The liberal media have always had an advantage over conservative media because of their billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies. But now, if the Trump administration has its way with the budget, the liberal media may be reduced significantly in size.

“Public Radio and Television Stations Face New Threat of Budget Cuts” is the headline over a Wall Street Journal article about proposed Trump administration budget cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and public broadcasting. These cuts “are being considered to offset the Trump administration’s proposed increase in defense spending,” the paper said.

Almost $13 billion has been spent by Congress on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) since 1969.

Accuracy in Media, the oldest media watchdog group, has long argued for the elimination of taxpayer subsidies for public television and radio. “There was a time when non-commercial public broadcasting may have offered an alternative that people couldn’t find elsewhere,” we pointed out back in 2005. “With the rise of cable television and talk radio, however, U.S. taxpayer underwriting of television and radio is no longer needed. The public should not have to subsidize public broadcasting through tax dollars or tax breaks.”

Since then, many more options have become available, including Internet-streaming television services such as Roku, which enable consumers to bypass cable and satellite TV.

Earlier this year Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) introduced two bills, H.R. 726 and H.R. 727, to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and National Public Radio (NPR). In a statement he declared, “With the national debt nearing a staggering $20 trillion, the government cannot continue to subsidize private organizations that are more than capable of being fully privately-funded. This is not about content, as CPB certainly airs some quality programs; the point is that it is perfectly capable of standing on its own two feet and not on the financial shoulders of the American taxpayers.”

Examples of biased public radio and TV programs are numerous. In his December 16, 2016 AIM Center for Investigative Journalism (CIJ) report, “Ken Burns: Student of History—or Left-Wing Gasbag?,” writer Arne Steinberg documented how PBS documentary creator Ken Burns is “a significant cog in the left-wing propaganda machine,” based on his service to the Democratic Party and opposition to Donald Trump.

The Heritage Foundation’s Hans A. von Spakovsky drew attention to this year’s scheduled participation by PBS vice president Toby Chaudhuri in a “partisan gathering intended to organize political resistance to Donald Trump and Republican legislators.” The anti-Trump event was titled “The Rise Above Conference.” Sponsors included the Southern Poverty Law Center and the ACLU.

Speakers included Dawn Laguens of Planned Parenthood on “Activism 201: Sustaining a Movement,” and Mark Schauer of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee on “The Reality of 2018 and the Hope for 2020.”

Having served as deputy press secretary to Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign, Chaudhuri worked with President Obama’s administration on “race-based initiatives and democracy and governance projects around the world for the U.S. State Department.” He also worked for then-Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).

After word of his participation in the anti-Trump event leaked out, PBS issued a statement saying that Chaudhuri had been notified last year that his employment was ending and that he was due to leave PBS prior to the controversial partisan event. “His participation in this event was not approved by PBS,” it said. “His role as described would be a violation of our commitment to nonpartisanship.”

Chaudhuri had served in the position of Vice President for Strategic Communications and National Partnerships at PBS.

With the new federal budget proposal scheduled for public release on Thursday, one can anticipate that officials at public broadcasting will be putting on their non-partisan faces, in order to avoid proposed cuts. We at AIM have heard this song many times before.

The media will play their familiar roles, as The New York Times is already out with a story about how Trump is proposing to “slash” areas such as public broadcasting, and how poor people will suffer as a result.

Perhaps Carlos Slim, the Mexican billionaire who underwrites the operations of the Times, can pick up the projected decline in funding for public broadcasting.

The largest stockholder in the paper, Slim’s net worth is $50 billion, according to Forbes. He could easily fill the void of $445 million that would be eliminated in taxpayer subsidies for public TV and radio. Or perhaps another billionaire, Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos, could write a check.

Comments

I am ready too see PBS Public Broadcasting go. I don’t want to see my $$$ Moneys go to Political Agendas. This must stop now.
BOBBY ~!~

biilyjoe

CNN, abc, nbc, msnbc, cbs–all controlled by the Obamaphyllic loons–and Pravda-esque mouthpieces for the Donkey-crap Party. Cut off all taxpayers’ money to these marxist insurrectionists asap.

missieb2000

Just the money from Jim Henson’s Muppets ought to be enough to keep PBS afloat.

biilyjoe

Disneyland (Dizzyworld) has had a hidden agenda since the wealthy Godless goons took over– 20 plus years ago. Wouldn’t pay a penny to step into either of those ‘amusement’ parks. Wouldn’t watch or pay or rent for a film that comes out of that anti-Christian Devilland.

jaimelmanzano

A necessary action, but insufficient. The record shows that the media, unleashed from self restraint by the First Amendment, has been unable to act responsibly. It has indulged in imaginative opinionating, casting red herrings out to mislead, and redirect public opinion in the direction of their political biases. In the extremes, the media has led the nation to make war. Recall “Remember the Maine. The reporting on current Russian election activities plants the seeds favoring disunity which may lead to the disintegration of the nation. Recognize that this reporting is with little, if any, convincing evidence. Come on! What do foreign diplomats do? They attempt to influence, represent national interests, and -yes – collect, analyze, report – AND spy.

In a way, journalist have lent themselves to the destruction of the nation’s interests – they cultivate leaks, subverting the trust and effective operation of government. activity. They need to learn, or be legally required, to present facts and sources, rather than wallow in egocentric imaginings.

TPS12

It’s about time to stop using taxpayer money. If people want to support the arts, public radio or tv let them donate their own money. Taxpayer money spent on the arts and these types of programs should be going to the infrastructure and Vets.

Idaho Bob

probably the most biased left wing media out there, it will be a good day when my tax dollars stop funding it.

sox83cubs84

PBS and NPR are just two more tentacles of the monster known as the liberal media. Cutting off their federal funding is a worthy goal.

Larry Sparks

PBS has become another liberal network, it is time to totally defund this agency.

Realist

I remember the last time someone tried defunding the Public (Expense) Indoctrinating System the libcultists immediately went for the “Its for the children” canard. I expect they’ll try to do the same this time along wuth gawd knows what other deceptions.

Here’s a simple proposal:

If any media outlet receives public money, they are then be expressly forbidden to engage in politics of any kind and for any reason. That would include the production and broadcast of what can only be called libcult Passion Plays. whether they be sitcoms, dramas etc.

mioahu

Well, it’s very hard to define what is political speech. Is a movie about global warming political speech ? That’s what PBS does, lots of documentaries with a clear liberal agenda, global warming, the plight of the immigrants from central america, poverty, etc etc etc but not straight political speech. It’s like trying to limit political campaign money… what is political campaign ? is a book about the other candidate , or his party , contributing to the campaign ? How about an anti mormon movie when Mitt Romney runs ? So that’s why they just have to be completely defunded, otherwise they will find ways around it

mioahu

Unfortunately the constitution gives them the right to lie ….They can be sued for defamation, or for treason, depending on the confidentiality of the data (in the crazy situation where they actually report based on real data :-)). But if there are enough idiots out there to pay for being misinformed, know they have been lied to and continue to pay for being lied to, not much you can do, they have the right to be stupid 🙂

mioahu

bye bye, you won’t be missed

AndRebecca

PBS and NPR have their stations on the university campuses. Are they involved in picking and training the students in the media classes? If so, it is even more important to get rid of them. They may be the reason we have no conservatives in the media.

William Sweeney

If we want to end public support of misinformation, we should eliminate Trump press conferences and his twitter account. Waiting to see all that ‘evidence’ of Obama wiretapping.

lou7

If they can’t sustain themselves, they don’t deserve to be on the air, especially NPR, that is a left wing station and they should support it, not the government!

Dixie Vangelisti

TPS12, I totally agree…well said!!!

Dixie Vangelisti

In total agreement!!!

Dixie Vangelisti

Good point AndRebecca…………

Ter Anders

Okay, sure, and so should the corporations who are granted $92 Billion in corporate subsidies by the same government.

Ter Anders

Oh yay, now I can look forward to advertisements every five minutes from the wealthy station operators. Joy. Rapture.

Ter Anders

“Accuracy in Media”? Just another FOX news.

Paul Anderson

I am weary of paying taxes for services never used: then we have the taxes, going to support NPR, having a Socialist Ideology, in opposition to the verry Constitution, that provides freedom for so many Americans.
Why are Americans supporting Social Democrats, when they have a Marxist/Communist ideology, that apposed the verry freedom, our forefathers gave their lives for. Wake up before it’s too late…

John Wirts

I used to live in Livermore California. The politicians and developers got together and proposed a performing arts theater, for our town, it would be self supporting no taxpayer funding. Five years later the politicians granted a taxpayer subsidy. I say any taxpayer subsidy should require all profits go back to the taxpayer, before any money is given to anyone else. I have seen too many civic enterprises go bankrupt and have to be bought out by ARCU, Sleep Train, ect. Football teams make more then enough to build their own stadiums. If they threaten to leave if the community does not build them a new stadium, Let them! Or if the stadium is built by the community, the community owns it and any use of the stadium is paid for by the user. The revenues will go back to the community! The arts are an elites way of showing off for other elites, They want the community to subsidize their expensive showing off parties. Let them support their own excesses!

John Wirts

And way past due!

MonadnockMan

So bobs33hotrod is sad to see it go! Well bobs33hotrod, I am not because I do not enjoy my unauthorized taxes to go to and contributing to a philosophy that I totally disagree with. This party line phony supposedly neutral programming other than Click and Clack has always been extremely bias to the liberal bent ideology with little or no tolerance for strict adherence to pure journalism, where report the entire facts allowed for rational thinking. No libs saw a chance and abused it as they always do. You see because of your greedy one sided tripe crap you lose – finally. See ya bunkie and do not wish you success in developing another broke sociology program of feel good liberal balderdash!

TPS12

I totally agree.

James

The lead-in to this article asserts, “Examples of biased public radio and TV programs are numerous.” Yet the article itself provides not a single example of bias in public radio and TV programs. I clicked through and read the article “Ken Burns: Student of History — or Left-Wing Gasbag?” in it’s entirety. The article does an excellent job of outlining how Burns himself is, in fact, a Left-Wing Gasbag. Arne Steinberg clearly shows how Burns is indeed “actually a significant cog in the left-wing propaganda machine.” But none of the examples presented are for series Burns produced for PBS, or that aired on PBS. The sole Burns documentary cited in the article — the video accompanying Teddy Kennedy’s 2008 DNC Convention speech — had nothing to do with PBS. Add the other evidence Steinberg presents that demonstrate Burns is a Left-Wing Gasbag, clear and compelling as it is, consists of excerpts from speeches and addresses Burns has given, and neither do these have anything to do with PBS. Finally, Steinberg does a solid job outlining the many “sloppy and careless” factual errors in several of Burns’s documentaries. Though embarrassing and potentially indicative of low professional standards, they have nothing to do with liberal bias. So, where are the numerous examples of “biased public radio and TV programs”? There are none to be found here.

terry1956

Public access brodasting stations are a good idea as a place to hold town meetings in which those who are holding political office and those running against them are expected to field questions from the people in that district but it should not be funded by the federal government and the fccshould be elimnated.

cooldiscodon

Not one more cent to NPR/CPB! The only reasonable services “public broadcasting” should provide are well and fairly provided by C-SPAN. And an eye should be kept on THEM, too!

rjm2238

American citizens should not be forced to finance their own demise. The CPB is nothing but a mouthpiece for everyone who is opposed to America, her people and our culture of freedom, liberty and self-reliance. We should be using taxpayer dollars to jam their signals rather than supporting their vapid, leftist tripe.
Let’s do all we can to see that this dangerous enemy of Amerca stays out of the budget henceforth and use those tax dollars to reduce the deficit thereby reducing interest payments from this point forward. It is time to put our money where our mouths and fortunately our votes are, and that is firmly behind President Trump and his administration.
Rich in New Mexico.

Tuxedo_Plowboy

PBS = Propaganda Broadcasting Service.

Ollie Octopus

I agree but cutting off tentacles hurts! Just where in our Constitution is anything that gives the feds the authority to give grants to anyone? Government cannot give anyone anything without first taking it from someone else!

Ollie Octopus

Disney is now sneaking homosexuality and lesbianism into their films. Beauty and the Beast has two sick homos kissing each other and Power Rangers has lesbians in it. A little here leads to a lot more in the next film. Parents have been brainwashed to the extent that Beauty and the Beast set records for attendance. Make no mistake about it, they are after your kids.

Ollie Octopus

Gee, another snowflake!

William Sweeney

Gee, another ignorant dipsh**!

biilyjoe

Totally Agreed. If they can put a Demon in the Awful Office for 8 years with Sharpton there daily to advise him and help him set off/lead riot/loot/burn/police kill/white kill ,cnn-like ‘thought policing’, then they can do anything to our kids–they already control the curriculum (DOE/Public Teachers’ Union leaders complicit—-and–left loon insurrectionist literature already chosen at every level) and have rewritten every textbook with their vile anti-America Revisionist LIES–began in the late 1960’s with the LBJ/mlk vote-buy.

Loving America

The Funds from Grants from D.C. need to go for Seniors,Veterans and Hungry American Children and Day Care for Children in America instead of PBS or their Affiliates! PBS Media were UGlY and BIASED in the Election and “Showed Their Ignorance And Opinions Against Fellow Americans and Trump and His Family!” I had been thinking about getting involved to support them, but NOW I am going to say and do everything possible to shut their “ReRuns Off the Airways of America!” If they want to be on TV Pay for the Crap they put out to be paid by them not the Taxpayers of America!

sox83cubs84

Next time I’ll use an analogy that isn’t threatening to octopi. 🙂 You make good sense.

John Wirts

We no longer have any news media, what we have is a DEAMONCRAT proprangda mill! Any media that publishes proprangda with no proof should lose all media credentials and protections. They then should have to start over as a new company with a new name, and recertify to reinstate media credentials. The new company would have on record the loss of credentials and protections, a second offence should shut them down permantly!

The Northwesterner

The truth hurts and (like all liberals) you don’t like it, do you?

The Northwesterner

Way more accurate than anything coming from CNN, MSNBC or any of the liberal-leaning papers.

Pablo Gerdez

Let them compete just like all the rest. If their programming is worthwhile to the public then advertising dollars will support it.